Clock casing



Aug. 17, 1937. F. LUX 2,090,370

CLOCK CASING Filed Dec. 14, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l HYVENTOR Frederzck LuxAug. 1 7, 193 7.

F. LUX 2,090,370

CLOCK CASING Filed Dec. 14, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR FvederzchLux.

ATTOR EY Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT iJt' i- 'ifiif.

CLOCK CASING Application December 14, 1934, Serial No. 757,486

17 Claims.

This invention relates to clocks, and more particularly to an improvedconstruction for mounting a clock movement in a casing.

One object of this invention is to provide a clock casing consisting oftwo interfitting telescoping shells which, when assembled, are adaptedto hold tightly in proper relation the clock frame, dial, andaccessories without the use of screws or nuts.

A further object is to provide a two-part clock casing of the abovenature having a supporting base which is adapted to be secured to theassembled casing by nut and screw means.

A further object is to provide a clock casing having exterior ribsadapted to have interlocking engagement with grooves in the supportingbase. A further object is to provide a clock casing of the above naturein which one of the shells is provided with a plurality of locating pinsadapted 20 to extend into cooperating apertures in the clock frame forproperly positioning said frame when in assembled position.

A further object is to provide a clock casing of the above nature inwhich the cooperating inter- 20 fitting shells are provided withinterlocking bayonet pin and slot means, and said shells when inassembled position are adapted to press inwardly upon the clock movementto hold it securely in position.

A further object is to provide novel means for attaching the dialbacking plate to the clock frame, and for supporting a fiat cupped alarmgong therebetween.

A further object is to provide a clock casing of the above nature whichwill be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy toassemble, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very eflicient anddurable in use. With these and other objects in view, there have beenillustrated on the accompanying drawings two forms in which theinvention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a front elevational view of the clock casing and base.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the same on an enlargedscale s Fig. 4 is a front perspective view of the rear a casing shell.

Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of the clock work frame per se.

Fig. 6 is a rear perspective view of the front casing shell.

Fig. '7 is a front elevation of a modified form of clock casing in whichlegs are substituted for the base.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation view of the same.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale,taken along the line 99 of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of thearrows.

In the standard type of metal cased clocks now in general use, the clockmovement has almost invariably been secured directly to the casing orindirectly thereto by means of supporting brackets. The attachment wasusually done by threaded means, such as nuts and screws, and the cost ofassembling the movement in the oasing was quite high by reason of thefact that the nuts and screws had to be picked up, turned down, andtightened by hand or machine operations. The resulting construction wasquite expensive, involving a large number of parts and often requiringspecial tools to assemble.

By means of the present invention, the above and other disadvantageshave been avoided, and a clock construction has been providedeliminating the use of nuts, bolts, or other attaching means between themovement and casing.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denotecorresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral l0indicates generally an ornamental-shaped cylindrical clock casingcomprising a circular front shell 5! and a circular rear shell l2,adapted to be telescopically interfitted and enclosing a clock frame l3,within which are the usual escapement controlled time and alarm trains il. The front shell l l is provided with an open front I 5 through whichis adapted to project a concavo-convex glass crystal l6, the edge ofwhich is adapted to rest against the front beveled bezel-like rim 16a ofthe front shell H. The front shell H is provided with a rear cylindricalrim l? and has an intermediate raised strengthening rib or bead l8.

The front shell is also provided with an outstanding shoulder Eta forkeeping the crystal l6 and dial-holding plate 36 in proper positionwithin the clock casing lb.

The rear shell I2 is provided with a back wall l9 having a plurality ofproperly located apertures 28, through which are adapted to extend theusual arbors carrying the hand setting knobs 2|, winding keys 22, and.other regulating devices. The apertures 29 for the knobs 2! arepreferably large enough to permit the heads of said knobs to passtherethrough upon assembly, while the apertures for receiving thewinding keys 22 are just large enough to accommodate the shanks of saidkeys, it being understood that said keys are assembled after the casingshells H and i2 have been put together.

The forward end of the rear shell i2 is provided with a cylindrical rim23 adapted to telescope within the rim ll of the front shell H. Anintermediate raised rib or bead 25, similar to the rib it of the frontshell H, is provided on said rear shell i2 and serves as a stop orabutment for the cylindrical rim ll of the front shell ll when saidshells are in assembled position.

In order to detachably interlock the front and rear shells ii and 2 witheach other, the rim ll of the front shell ii is provided with aninwardly projecting radial stud 2%, preferably riveted in place, saidstud 25 being adapted to enin a corresponding bayonet slot 2? providedin the rim 23 of the rear shell l2. The lower section of the rim 23 ofthe rear shell i2 is provided with a radial screw pin 28 projectingoutwardly therefrom and having interfitting' engagement with a bayonetslot 2;) provided in the lower section of the rim ll of the front shellH. When the shells have been thus assembled, they are adapted to besupported upon an ornamental flat cupped base 3% having an arcuate uppersection for fitting under the assembled shells H and i2 of thecylindrical casing in, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The screw pin 23 previously mentioned is adapted to project downwardlythrough an aperture 3% provided in the base 36 and receives a bindingnut 3|. It is to be noted from this construction that when the twoshells are assembled with the stud 26 and the screw pin 28 fitted intheir respective bayonet slots 21 and 29, and with the base Sil inposition, the binding nut 35 serves to lock the base 313 securely uponthe casing ill. The arcuate section tile is also provided with a pair ofgrooves 300 for fitting over the intermediate ribs i8 and 25,respectively. The separation of the shells ii and i2 when the base "itis assembled, will thus be impossible.

In order to properly aline the clock frame l3 Within the casing it toprevent said frame from twisting with respect to said casing, the rearshell if: is provided with a pair of horizontal alining pins 32diametrically positioned with respect to each other, and preferablyriveted to the inside of the back wall H9. The forward ends of the pins32 are provided with reduced shanks 33 which fit into correspondingapertures (it provided in the rear plate 35 of the clock frame l3.

Positioned in front of the clock frame It and spaced therefrom is abacking-up plate 35 for supporting a dial 3?, in front of which are theusual hour and minute indicating hands 38 and 352, and an alarm setpointer til.

In order to rigidly secure the dial-supporting plate 36 to the clockframe !3, provision is made of a plurality of rearwardly projecting fiatlugs ll preferably struck out of the metal of the plate 35, and havingreduced rearwardly projectears 42 passing through the front plate 43 ofthe clock frame 5 and bent over therebehind. A relatively shallow cuppedgong i l is positioned between the front plate of the clock frame iiiand the dial-supporting plate 35, and is adapted to be secured in spacedrelation from both of said plates by means of a central forwardly offsetsection :5 spot-welded to the dial-supporting plate The gong it isprovided with suitable apertures 45 (only one being shown on thedrawings), through which the lugs ll and pointeroperating arbors l'i mayproject without touching the gong.

The back wall i9 and the outer edge of the dial supporting plate 36 aremade resilient and yieldable and the overall thickness of the movementand crystal is made greater than the normal width of the space betweenthe front and rear walls of the shells H and I2. When the shells ii andi2 are interlocked, the movement and crystal will thus be tightlyclamped therebetween by a cushion mounting. This will reduce thepossibility of breakage of crystals and will compensate for variationsin the thickness of the movement, permitting greater tolerances in themanufacture thereof.

The alarm silencing mechanism is preferably located permanently on theback Wall I9 of the rear shell i2, and includes a tubular bushing 48rigidly afiixed to the upper section of said Wall 59, as shown in Figs.3 and 4. A plunger rod 49 is slidable in the bushing 48 and carries ahandle knob 5E3 on its outer exposed end and a conical nose 5! on itsinner end. By manually pushing in on the knob 59 the conical nose 5|will be caused to engage an alarm stop lever 52 for shutting off thealarm mechanism.

Operation In the operation of assembling the clock movement in the clockcasing, the rear shell I2 will first be positioned horizontally with itsopen end up in a suitable jig fixture, not shown, which has suitablevertical projections and cavities for the purpose of properly aliningthe shell and allowing suitable downward clearance for all the clockmovement parts that project beyond the back wall Iii.

The clock movement which includes the clock frame i3, dial 3i, backingplate 36, gong i l, etc., will then be dropped into position within thecasing ii], and by alining the pins 32 of the rear clock wall l9 withthe apertures 34 in the clock frame is, the movement will be properlylocated with respect to the shell l2.

The crystal it will next be placed upon the dial 37, after which thefront shell H may be assembled by alining the radial stud 26 and thebayonet slot 29 thereof with the bayonet slot 21 and the screw pin 23,respectively, of the rear shell 52. The shell ill will then betelescoped upon the shell i2, and given a slight clockwise twist tointerlock the stud 26 and screw pin 28 in their respective bayonetslots.

The clock casing H3 and enclosed movement will then be removed from thejig fixture and inverted. The base will then be placed in position withthe pin 23 extending through the aperture 361) in said base Bil, andwith the ribs it and located in the grooves 300. The nut 35 will then bescrewed upon the pin 28 and tightened up.

The final operation in the assembly of the clock is to place the windingkeys 22 upon their respective arbors, and screw them up tightly.

Modified form In the modified form illustrated in Figs. '7, 8 and 9, theconstruction is identical in all re spects to the first form of theinvention, except that supporting legs are substituted for the base 38.The rim of the front shell 55 of the mcdified form is provided with apair of bayonet slots 56 and 5'! adapted to receive a pair of screw pins58 and 59, rigidly secured to the rim of the telescoping rear shell 69as by riveting. After the shells 55 and 60 have been assembled in theusual manner, a pair of hollow tapped ornamental members BI and 62 areadapted to be screwed upon the outwardly projecting threaded sections ofthe screw pins 58 and 59. The leg members i i 5 and 62 function in thesame manner as the nut 3| of the first form to lock the shells and 66against relative twisting. The rear shell @Q is also provided with apermanent ar leg 63, preferably formed of sheet metal, and rigidlyattached to the wall of said shell as by means of rivets 64. If desired,the leg E3 may be formed in the shape of a curved ornamental scrollshown in Fig. 8, and it is preferably arranged so that the clock dialwill be rearward-11y inciined 15 when the casing is set on a horizontalsurface.

While there have been disclosed in this specification two forms in whichthe invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these formsare shown for the purpose of illustration only.

and that the invention is not to be lin.... ed to the specificdisclosures but may be modified and em bodied in Various other formswithout departing from its spirit. In short, the invention in eludes allthe modifications and embodiments 5 coming within the scope of thefollowing claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new andfor which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

1. In a clock, a pair of opposed resilient slightly expansible shellmembers having telescoping rim sections, means to hold said shellmembers together, a clock movement held tightly under pressure betweensaid shell members, each of said rim sections having an outwardlyextending bead,

a base member for supporting said clock on a fiat surface, said basemember having a recess shaped to lit the lower part of the assembledshell members, said recess being provided with a pair of grooves adaptedto fit about said beads, and means for detachably securing said base tothe telescoped shell members.

2. In a clock, a pair of opposed resilient longitudinally expansibleshell members having telescoping rim sections, means to hold said shellmembers together, a clock movement held tightly under compressionbetween said shell members, each of said rim sections having anoutwardly extending bead, a base member for sup porting said clock on aflat surface, said base member having a recess shaped to fit the lowerpart of the assembled shell members, said recess being provided with apair of grooves adapted to fit about said beads, and threaded means fordetachably securing said base to the telescoped shell members.

3. In a clock, a pair of opposed resilient shell members havingtelescoping rims and axially expansible end faces, means to hold saidshell men..- bers together, a clock movement held tightly with in saidshell members and compressed thereby,

one of said shell members having inwardly extending means fornon-rotative engagement with said clock movement.

4. In a clock having a movement and a front crystal, a pair of opposedresilient telescoping casing sections for housing the clock movement andcrystal, and means for detachably securing said sections together andsimultaneously clamping said movement and crystal under compressiontherebetween. I I

5. In a clock, a movement, a casing comprising front and reartelescoping resilient shells for enclosing said movement, means forinterlocking said shells, the thickness of said movement being greaterthan the normal width of the space between the ends of said shells sothat said movement will be held under compression by the resilientshells.

6. In a clock, a movement having a dial plate provided with a yieldableresilient rim, a crystal seated on said rim, a casing comprising a frontshell for engaging said crystal and a resilient rear shell engaging saidmovement, said shells being interlocked telescopically together to holdsaid movement and crystal tightly compressed therebetween, theresiliency of said dial plate rim and said rear shell providing acushion mounting for said crystal for preventing breakage andcompensating for variations in thickness of crystal.

7. In a clock, a pair of cooperating resilient telescoping casingmembers, a clock movement held between said members under compression bythe pressure thereof without being connected therewith, and means fordetachably locking said casing members together. i

8. In a clock, a pair of opposed resilient shell members havingtelescoping rims and outwardly expansible end faces, means to hold saidshell members together, a clock movement held tightly within andcompressed by said shell members, said clock movement havingnon-twisting engagement with one of said shell members.

9. In a clock having an interior movement and. a front crystal, 2. pairof opposed resilient telescopic casing sections for housing the clockmovement and crystal, means for detachably securing said sectionstogether and simultaneously clamping said movement and crystal undercompression therebetween, and a plurality of leg members projectingdownwardly from said casing to support it upon a table or otherhorizontal surface, said leg members also serving to lock said casingsections together.

10. In a clock, a pair of cooperating resilient slightly expansiblecasing members, means. to hold said casing members together, and a clockmovement securely positioned in said casing by and between said casingmembers, the latter members being expanded by engagement with saidmovement.

11. In a clock, a pair of telescoping resilient shell members, a clockmovement held tightly between and under compression by said shellmembers, and means for detachably interlocking said shell members witheach other in expanded condition, said movement having non-rotativeinterlocking engagement with one of said shell members.

12. In a clock, a front shell having a front open face and a rearcylindrical rim, a rear shell having a resilient metallic back wall anda front cylindrical rim for telescopically fitting the rear rim of saidfront shell, means on said rims for detachably interlocking the shellswith each other, an intermediate rib on one of said rims serving as anabutment for the edge of the other rim, and a movement held undercompression by and between said shells.

13. In a clock casing, a front cup-shaped shell having an open frontface and a rear cylindrical rim, a rear cup-shaped shell having aresilient back wall and a front cylindrical rim for telescopicengagement with said rear rim, one of said rims having a raised rib forengaging the edge of the other rim, means on said rims for detachablyinterlocking said shells with each other, and a movement held undercompression by and between said shells.

14. In a clock, a clock movement, a casing comprising a pair of frontand rear telescoping shells, the front shell having an open face and therear shell having a closed resilient back Wall, means on said back Wallextending into said clock movement for non-rotative engagementtherewith, and means for detachably holding said shells in tightclamping engagement about said clock movement, said movement being heldunder pressure by said shells.

15. In a clock, a clock movement, a casing comprising a pair of frontand rear telescoping shells, the front shell having an open face and therear shell having a closed resilient back Wall, said back Wall havinginterlocking engagement with said clock movement, and pin and bayonetslot means for detachably holding said shells in tight clampingengagement about said clock movement, said movement being held underpressure by said shells.

16. In a clock, a clock movement, a pair of cooperating telescopingcasing members having resilient end sections and surrounding saidmovement, and means for detachably locking said casing members togetherto hold the end sections expanded by contact with said movement, Wherebysaid movement is held and clamped therebetween by the pressure thereof.

17. In a clock, a pair of opposed resilient shell members having axiallyexpansible end sections adapted to press upon the opposite faces of aclock movement, and means for detachably connecting said shell memberswhereby said movement is held and clamped therebetween by the pressurethereof.

FREDERICK LUX.

